Skateboarding is both a popular recreational activity and a serious, competitive sport. Skateboards may be ridden on various types of surfaces, for instance streets, ramps, indoor courses, and off-road surfaces may all be traversed by skateboards. The performance of skateboards in various circumstances may be dependent upon both the ability of the rider and also the quality and design of the skateboard employed.
Skateboards are typically made of three main components, those being a deck, truck assemblies, and wheels. Decks, which are sometimes known as boards, usually have a flat center portion that accommodates the feet of the rider. Decks are typically elongated such that they are longer in length from the front to the rear of the deck than in width from either side of the deck. The front and/or back of the deck may in some instances be upturned in relation to the center portion of the deck.
The wheels of the skateboard are attached to the deck via the truck assembly. The truck assembly is provided with an axle onto which a pair of wheels are rotatably mounted. The truck assembly and wheels are mounted onto the bottom of the skateboard towards the front portion. A similar truck assembly with wheels is likewise mounted to the bottom of the skateboard near the rear portion. The two truck assemblies may be either identical, or of different configurations according to commonly known designs.
During operation, the rider may position his or her feet at any location on the board in order to control the skateboard in response to the given situation. For instance, the rider may have one foot located at the upturned rear portion of the board while the other foot is at the upturned front portion of the board. In order to turn left to right, the rider may shift his or her weight such that the deck is tilted about a longitudinal axis. This tilting is accommodated by the truck assemblies which allow for the wheels to be pivoted in order to accommodate a left or right turn. The truck assemblies may be designed in order to allow for this tilting/turning and to help stabilize the skateboard by urging the board back to the normally untilted position. In addition to providing for a smooth and predictable steering system, the truck assemblies may also be a suspension system that is designed to absorb shock imparted on the skateboard and provide for a more comfortable and improved ride.
Standard truck assemblies employ a pin that is oriented substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface of the board. The pin may be incorporated into a housing of the truck assembly that is attached to the board, or alternatively the pin may be disposed through a hole in the board and mounted thereon. The housing of the truck assembly encircles this vertically mounted pin and is in contact with the board and/or the pin through a resilient member. This resilient member therefore allows the housing of the truck assembly to pivot with respect to the pin. The truck assembly may also have an additional arm or member extending therefrom into a bearing element that is disposed on or in the board. The arm member may also pivot with respect to this bearing element. As such, conventional truck assemblies have a housing that is configured for attachment to the board at two locations, both of these locations providing for a pivoting arrangement of the housing. The resilient member and bearing element may also impart shock-absorbing properties into the truck assembly in addition to providing for the pivoting action.
Other truck assemblies include a housing that has a resilient member disposed therein with an axle member attached to the housing through the use of a mounting member. The mounting member may be retained through a slotted opening in the housing in order to allow the axle member to move substantially vertically with respect to the board. The resilient member engages the axle member in order to absorb shock that is imparted onto the truck assembly through the wheels attached to the axle member. In this configuration, the mounting member does not engage the resilient member, and the mounting member is disposed on one side of the resilient member.
The present invention provides for an improved truck assembly for use on a skateboard in order to allow for a truck assembly that exhibits better turning properties and/or suspension properties than those previously used in the art.